Reading woman lost baby after relying on home doppler

Reading woman lost baby after relying on home doppler

Nine months pregnant with her first child and over a week overdue, Vicki McNelly woke up in the early hours fearing something was wrong with her baby.

Realising her movements had changed, she used a doppler she had bought to listen to Evie's heartbeat at home.

Convinced she could hear the comforting sound of her daughter, the 29-year-old felt reassured and went back to bed.

However, the next morning she realised her baby was not moving and visited her local hospital, where a sonogram revealed her much-longed-for child had died.

It transpired she may had heard the sound of her own heartbeat rather than that of her baby.

Mrs McNelly, from Mortimer, Reading, is now speaking out to warn oth er women about the dangers of relying on the devices, which are available over-the-counter or online for as little as £30.

It comes after a stillbirth charity has called on the Government to ban the sale of dopplers over fears they can provide false reassurance and lead to life-threatening medical delays.  

Mrs McNelly and husband Stephen pictured saying a painful goodbye to their first born Evie

The customer service worker when she was overjoyed and pregnant with Evie in 2015

A petition from Kicks Count now has over 11,000 signatures as the charity's CEO compares trusting the foetal heartbeat detectors to relying on a 'Peppa Pig stethoscope' instead of being checked over by your GP.

Mrs McNelly, who works part time in customer services, said: 'The doppler gave me something to hold on to, I was convinced I could hear her heartbeat.

WHAT IS A DOPPLER? 

Home doppler use has increased over the years, with more affordable options being made available.

They are designed t o allow a mother-to-be to listen to the heartbeat of their unborn child.

Some can record the sound of a mother's heartbeat which can be played back to help soothe and calm the new born baby.

Women want to use them either as a reassurance due to concerns over miscarriage, or as a method for bonding. 

Hand held dopplers utilise the same high frequency sound waves that ultrasounds use to make a picture on a screen. 

Mayo Clinic has stated there is 'no scientific evidence of any harmful effects to the fetus from the use of ultrasound during pregnancy.'

So home dopplers are considered safe to use â€" it is women's reliance on them in place of seeking medical help when needed that causes concern.  

A British Medical Journal article in 2007 by an obstetrics team at Wirral University Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: 'In untrained hands it is more likely that blood flow through the placenta or the maternal aorta or iliac vessels will be heard.'

Another feature that year in the same journal explained that some of the monitors on the market are medical grade ultrasound Doppler devices, which have to conform to European medical directive 93/94/EEC and be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. 

The cheaper products are non-ultrasound, and are not considered medical devices â€" and are marketed as listening devices rather than heart monitors â€" therefore are judged against much lower general product safety regulations.

'Had I known how misleading home dopplers are I might have acted differently and gone to hospital sooner, my daughter might still be here.

'I wish I had listened to my instincts and sought help when I first felt something was wrong.'

I heard my own heart beat

Mrs McNelly and husband Stephen, 30, a Dyno-Rod engineer, had longed for children and were looking forward to the arrival of little Evie in June 2015.

The couple has found listening to their baby's heart beat at hospital scans such a bonding experience, so they purchased a doppler to use at home.

Manufacturers say it allows you to hear a heartbeat from as early as 10 weeks of pregnancy.

But when joy turned to tragedy, the couple were at a loss to understand why the device had still appeared to pick up the baby's heart beat.

Doctors told Mrs McNelly she may have been listening to just her own heartbeat on the device.

Limitations of home dopplers

Charities warns that the home versions of dopplers are not as sophisticated as professional equipment used in hospitals that cost in excess of £400.

Additionally, midwives who train for three years to differentiate sounds from the womb.

Women using home dopplers are relying on instructions on how to use them from YouTube tutorials.

Kicks Count CEO, Elizabeth Hutton says: 'Midwives and doctors train for many years to interpret what they hear through a doppler. It is a medical device, not an object to be used for entertainment.

'The placenta, and mother's heartbeat, can both easily be mistaken for a foetal heartbeat a nd women can be falsely reassured.'

Our eventual baby joy â€" but this time we trusted our instincts

Mrs McNelly vowed not to use the device during second pregnancy with Florence (pictured)

Devastated Mrs McNelly and Stephen vowed to try again for another baby, and were delighted to fall pregnant with another girl, Florence, who will be one next week.

Vicki was adamant she would not use a home doppler during her second pregnancy.

She said: 'Pregnant women must learn their baby's movement routine and trust their gut.

'If in doubt, go for a check-up straight away, never wait. Dopplers are made so cheaply and women have zero training.

'I wish I hadn't relied on it, then my daughter may have been born safe and well.'

Experts' warnings 

In 2009 doctors cla imed foetal heart monitors were 'potentially dangerous to mother and baby's health' following a case very similar to Mrs McNelly's.

NHS Choices describes the machines as 'potentially dangerous to mother and baby's health' and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) also warns against using the personal heart monitors.

Britain's stillbirth and neonatal death rate is the third worst in the developed world with around 6,500 babies lost every year. 

Kicks Count advises women to always seek medical advice if they notice a change in their baby's movements.

Elizabeth Hutton said: 'The presence of a heartbeat doesn't mean the baby is well, only that it is still alive. 

'If the baby is in distress, this is when medical attention should be sought. Waiting until they can no longer find a heartbeat means it is sadly too late to save t hat baby.'

Kicks Count is working to reduce the number of stillbirths in the UK by highlighting the importance of a baby's movements. For more information visit here.

A BABY'S MOVEMENTS IN PREGNANCY

Most women become aware of their baby's movements around 18 to 20 weeks, according the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

However, in first pregnancies it can take longer and, in subsequent pregnancies, earlier.

As babies develop in the womb, their movements change, with afternoon and evening normally the peak activity times. 

Babies movements do cease throughout the day, as the y sleep, but naps are usually between 20 and 40 minutes and rarely for more than 90 minutes.

As pregnancy progresses, movements will tend to increase until around 32 weeks, when they stay around the same in number but may change in type.

Vitally, you should continue to feel your baby move right up to the point of, and during, labour.

A change in the pattern of movements can indicate your child is unwell and it is essential to contact your midwife or local maternity unit immediately for assessment.

All babies are different and the focus shouldn't be on the number of movements, rather your own baby's individual pattern, in order to recognise any change.

If you feel baby's movements have changed, lie on your left side and focus on kicks for a minimum of two hours. If you do not feel 10 or more separate movement during that time, seek immediate medical help.  

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